


Unlooked-For

by rain_sleet_snow



Series: it's a dangerous business, going out your door (you never know where you might be swept off to) [2]
Category: Tortall - Tamora Pierce
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-09
Updated: 2015-01-09
Packaged: 2018-03-06 21:39:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 339
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3149393
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rain_sleet_snow/pseuds/rain_sleet_snow
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kourrem answers calls for help, if you really mean them.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Unlooked-For

            Kourrem comes rolling into Corus with the January storms, inscrutable and cold at the edges and looking much older than she really is. She sits through the protocol of announcing her arrival to King Jonathan and Queen Thayet impassively, allows herself to be escorted to the audience room with her customary dignity, does not protest when a chamberlain offers his profuse apologies but their Majesties have requested that we not disturb them –

 

            Kourrem thanks the chamberlain graciously and breaks into Jon and Thayet’s private rooms, where she finds herself staring down the business end of Jon’s sword, glowers at him, and says “You called?”

 

            Thayet called, actually; she’d sent messages out months ago to Alanna, to Eleni, to any healer she knew and felt she could trust. Duke Baird knew already, of course. The birth of an heir was his province as healer to the king. But Thayet wanted people with her in the birthing chamber that she knew, and Alanna had come from Pirate’s Swoop, and Eleni had left Olau and was staying in Myles’ townhouse in the City within easy reach, and Kourrem... Kourrem hadn’t answered the letter in the first place.

 

            Perhaps Kourrem had been killed by bandits on the road, Thayet had thought. Perhaps she didn’t care to come for someone she wasn’t very close to. Perhaps she thought the queen would have enough healers about her. Perhaps she didn’t realise that Thayet trusted few people so well as those who had fought for Jonathan’s survival as King for his own sake, rather than for that of the Tortallan Crown. Perhaps she didn’t remember that in the Hall of Crowns she had turned a blade meant for Thayet, eyes blind with saffron Gift, and helped Thayet tear weapons from the walls. Perhaps she didn’t realise Thayet knew Kourrem would stand between her and danger and between any child of Jon’s and danger, and fight to the death.

 

            Perhaps Thayet should have sent the letter to Rajmuat rather than Frasrlund.

 

            “You came,” Thayet says, and smiles.

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [[podfic] Unlooked-for](https://archiveofourown.org/works/10403517) by [Chestnut_filly](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chestnut_filly/pseuds/Chestnut_filly)




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